HBO has been responsible for creating and distributing some of the most compelling dramas of the last decade. The series Raised by Wolves, which focuses on a group of androids trying to raise children on a distant planet after Earth has been devastated by a global war, is sure to be seen as one of their better offerings.
During the course of the series’ run, the various characters that appear, whether human or android, show various levels of bravery as they contend with the numerous pressures that they face in a harsh new world.
Otho
Otho is one of the most despicable characters in the series, given that he rapes women who are in hibernation during their travel across space. Though he believes this has been done by the order of his god, it’s clear that he’s just a tyrant who believes that his own desires matter more than anything else. He doesn’t even have the courage to admit that what he did was wrong, nor does he have the bravery to admit even the possibility that he might have been misguided in his actions.
Hunter
Like many of the children that Mother abducts from the spaceship with the Mithraists, Hunter has a hard time adapting to his new life among the androids. While he wants everyone to believe that he is brave, and while he wears his bloodline as a shield (he is the son of a high-ranking official), the truth is that he is much less brave than he tends to let on.
In fact, there are several key moments when he shows that he is not nearly the leader that he thinks he is.
Marcus/Caleb
Marcus/Caleb is remarkable for being one of Travis Fimmel’s best roles following his powerful performance on Vikings. His character is one of the bravest in the series, for a host of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he steals the identity of a Mithraist and masquerades as him for a remarkably long time. What’s more, he also shows that he has the courage to face down anyone who gets in his way, whether that be the Mithraists or the androids. No matter what happens, he’ll see his vision brought to pass.
Sue/Mary
Like Marcus/Caleb, Sue/Mary is also an imposter, having taken on a new identity at the same time as he did. However, it has to be said that she is braver than he is in some important ways, including the fact that she at least is willing to admit at times that what they are doing is morally questionable. What’s more, she also shows that she is very courageous when it comes to their adopted son Paul, and that she will do almost anything to protect him from harm.
Campion Sturges
Even though he only appears in flashbacks, Campion is still one of the series’ most important characters, given that he was the one who reprogrammed Mother. As such, he should also be seen as one of the most courageous characters, as it would have taken a tremendous amount of bravery to try to change a murderous robot into something that could instead protect human life. What’s more, he had the bravery to stand up for his convictions, no matter how dangerous doing so might prove to be.
Tempest
Like many of the other characters that appear in this series, the young woman Tempest has a lot to deal with, including the fact that she is one of those that Otho subjected to his tortures. However, she shows a great deal of bravery during her time on the show, most notably by deciding very quickly that she has had enough of the hypocrisy of the Mithraists and throws in her lot with the androids. This is a remarkable gesture for someone trained to believe as they do.
Paul
Though he is something of an enigma for much of the series, there’s no question that Paul is also one of its most compelling and bravest characters. Unlike Campion, he has seen the brutality on Earth, and he ultimately has to endure the revelation that the people who look like his parents are in fact imposters.
However, he continues to soldier on through all of that, and he ultimately demonstrates a skill in leadership that makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Campion
As the sole survivor from the first group of children that Mother and Father incubated, Campion has always had a great deal to deal with. It’s also what incubates a certain darkness in his soul. At the same time, it has to be said that he is one of the series’ bravest characters, since he endures quite a lot–including being raised by two beings who aren’t even human–yet somehow continues to persevere and to show remarkable reservoirs of strength and determination.
Father
Part of what makes this series one of the best science fiction series is its ability to create even non-human characters who manage to be fascinating and complicated. This includes Father, one of the two androids who take care of the human children. Time and again, he shows that he is willing to protect them at all costs, no matter how much it might cost him to do so. What’s more, he’s also willing to challenge Mother at key times, which shows that he is braver than most of the other characters.
Mother
There have been many TV shows and movies that feature compelling robots, but there are few who are quite as powerful or intimidating as Mother. While she can be very cold and distant–she is an android, after all–she also shows that she is a remarkably brave being, willing to go right into the heart of the Mithraists’ own ship in order to procure their children. And, of course, there’s also the fact that she is very willing and able to defend them from whatever tries to harm them, no matter the cost to herself.
